Kerala will soon become the first state in the country to declare Internet access as a human right.

In the state budget presented two weeks ago, the CPI(M)-led government earmarked a special fund aimed at providing Internet connections to 20 lakh families either at subsidised rates or completely free of cost.

The Kerala government feels that nobody in a country rapidly heading towards hassle-free governance and a cashless economy should be at pains to acquire the new-age technology.

High-speed internet connectivity is a basic right in most developed nations. In 2010, Sweden became the first country to make broadband Internet a legal right for every citizen. Canada followed suit last year, ensuring that every resident was entitled to Internet access at a minimum speed of 50 Mbps.

The state, which lays claim to many firsts in human development indices, plans to launch a big campaign on the lines of its ambitious e-literacy programme – Akshaya – to empower those deprived of Internet connectivity.

Akshaya, launched in the early 2000s, catapulted Kerala into becoming India’s most e-literate state by 2016-end.